Jussie Smollett's Final "Empire" Episode Brings Low Ratings: Report

The recent episode's ratings remain low.

Last night marked the season finale of Fox's musical drama Empire. Lately, the show's future on television screens was jeopardized by the ordeal surrounding the Jussie Smollet hoax. The affair entailed the series of events which led Smollett, who plays the character "Jamal Lyon," to be indicted on 16 different charges for staging a racist and homophobic attack/kidnapping. Though the charges were dropped and the entertainer now roams free, he continues to face the expected consequences of his actions. As such, chatter now revolves around the actor's future on the series.

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Earlier this week, castmates Taraji P. Henson & Terrance Howard penned a letter begging for the actor's return on the show while show creator Lee Daniels admitted to having Jussie's back in a radio interview. Moreover, Jussie's younger sister, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, gave away major spoilers of yesterday's episode to applaud her relative on portraying Fox's first gay, black marriage on TV. She also made her stance on Jussie's innocence known.

Reports now indicate the numbers are in with regards to last night's Empire episode, which might be Jussie Smollet's final performance on the show. According to Variety, the finale's ratings increased in comparison to previous weeks, however, the ratings remain low for the show overall. Precisely, 3.8 million viewers watched the episode, ringing them up to a 1.1 rating in the key 18-49 demo, an increase from the 1.07 of last weeks. Nevertheless, the season five totals reflect a 1.4 rating level.